Geoffrey
It’s not a great time to be a conservative in Canada. Or even a Conservative (a federal conservative anyway, conservative parties hold power in seven of the ten provinces). But federally we’re outgunned.
After the 2019 federal election, the scandal-plagued, incompetent, leftist Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was returned with a minority. The Conservatives won the popular vote (34% – 33%) but ended up with 36 fewer seats (first-past-the-post is still the best voting system).
But in a minority, the opposition can still gang up and defeat the government. Not here, too many of the rest of them are just as Left as the Liberals, even more so.
Here’s a look at the Canadian federal political parties and their standing in the 338 seat Canadian House of Commons (170 seats = majority).
Liberal Party (red colour), 157 seats (13 short of a majority). Equivalent to UK Labour/Liberal Democrat and USA Democrat parties.
Climate change is a “crisis”. China Virus is a “crisis”, but China isn’t (the PM loves crises). The Canadian oil industry is to be crippled so we can buy foreign oil (Trump’s done more for Canadian oil than Trudeau). Immigrants can walk across the border and be put up in hotels (who seeks asylum from the USA?). A temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council is a “top priority” (why reform a corrupt body when you can join it).
Conservative Party (blue colour), 121 seats. Equivalent to UK Conservative, USA Republican parties. Lacklustre leader resigned after snatching defeat from a winnable position (party picked the wrong leader).
Currently undertaking leadership campaign.
Bloc Quebecois (light blue to match Quebec flag), 32 seats. Federal Quebec separatist party (they have a provincial one too). Darling of the Scottish National Party (both going nowhere nationally). They do what suits Quebec and sod the rest of the country.
New Democratic Party (orange colour because red was already taken), 24 seats. Loonie lefties equivalent to trade union/Labour parties.
Green Party (green colour), 3 seats. Climate crazies.
Independent, one seat (former Liberal who caught-out PM and was ousted).
So as you can see, all the Liberals need are the Bloc or the NDP (they have the Greens), and they have a majority.
Result: Four more years of inept federal government and decline in Canada.
Geoffrey Corfield is a card-carrying member of both The Conservative Party of Canada (federal) and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (provincial). He has served on party constituency boards of directors for The Reform Party of Canada (now the Conservative Party), The Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan (now the Saskatchewan Party), and The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. In 1981 he ran for the PC Saskatchewan nomination for Cut Knife-Lloydminster but lost to a small-town mayor who was elected and later caught in an expense account scandal. They chose the wrong candidate. But he won’t always write about politics because he has more experience writing humour columns. He lives in London, Ontario; loves used bookshops (humour, history, travel); swims laps; drinks beer; supports Aston Villa Football Club and Worcestershire County Cricket Club; has six books published; his own town in north-central Queensland and his own bar and street in Perth, Australia; is founder of The Almost Somewhat Royal Civic Gardens Croquet Club; and very much wants to find a publisher for his books on the humorous histories of Australia and New Zealand.
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